Getty Boston Celtics star duo of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.
The Boston Celtics lack the required role players to be a championship contender, or perhaps they require another star player; maybe they just need to break up the duo of Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum.
We’ve heard all these opinions and more, throughout the last few seasons, as everybody tries to add their two cents on what the Celtics organization needs to do in order to bring a banner back to Boston.
In Boston’s defense, their recent struggles haven’t been for a lack of trying. First, we had the Gordon Hayward signing, then the Kyrie Irving trade, and then we had Kemba Walker. Unfortunately, health and opportunistic windows were factors beyond the front office’s control.
While the Celtics have been working to figure out what the missing pieces are, or should be, other teams around the Eastern Conference have been tinkering to their own rosters, and as a result, have caught up or surpassed the Celtics in both depth and skill-level.
Just this past off-season, the Chicago Bulls added DeMar Derozan, Lonzo Ball, and Alex Caruso after acquiring Nikola Vucevic at last season’s trade deadline. The Milwaukee Bucks realized they needed a high-level guard and made moves to bring in Jrue Holiday to begin last season. The Miami Heat added Kyle Lowry during the summer to give themselves another dimension.
With so many teams leveling up, the Celtics have found themselves sliding into purgatory – not quite good enough to win a championship, but too good to tank for a high draft pick. And with minimal trade assets to their names, the Celtics are finding themselves involved in every trade rumor for a star player. Unfortunately, those rumored trades all involve moving on from Brown.
Jalen Rose Sounds Off: ‘That would be one of the dumbest things in the history of the Boston Celtics’
Before the Celtics took on the Los Angeles Lakers, ESPN’s Stephen A Smith and Jalen Rose were involved in a pre-game show on the TD Garden’s court. With both the Lakers and Celtics struggling, the pair discussed the issues blighting each team’s season, how they could fix it, and if a trade could be deemed necessary by their respective front office.
During their conversation, Smith mentions the Celtics’ prospect of breaking up their star duo in the hunt for a more competitive roster, which elicited a passionate response from Rose.
“The problem for the Celtics—and the Sixers—they were both ascending very early at the same time. Then all of the sudden, the rest of the teams in the East got better. The Raptors won the championship; the Bucks won a championship, the Heat won the East, and then Miami got a Big Three. You brought up trading Jayson Tatum potentially and breaking up Jaylen Brown? That would be one of the dumbest things in the history of the Boston Celtics. Do not trade Jaylen Brown, by any means!”
It would seem that Rose shares a similar opinion to the majority of Celtics fans, who believe that Tatum and Brown are the team’s future and that it’s only a matter of time until the front office finds the right blend of talent to accentuate their young stars.
Tatum & Brown Have Come Close to Success Before
An often overlooked aspect of Tatum and Brown’s tenure in Boston is their multiple appearances in the Eastern Conference finals. While the Celtics haven’t claimed a conference championship during those appearances, it has expedited the level of expectations levied at both the franchise and its two budding superstars.
With Tatum and Brown having multiple years left on their current contracts and former head coach Brad Stevens now overseeing the roster construction as the President of Basketball Operations, it’s fair to assume that neither of these star players will be available for trade unless they explicitly request it.
Indeed, the Celtics don’t have the most significant war chest or trade assets. Still, they do have numerous players on team-friendly contracts and expiring deals, while they also have a slew of young, talented, high-upside players that could be used as a sweetener in any potential deal.
Alas, as things currently stand, any potential trade projects to be closer to the trade deadline or during the off-season leading up to the 2022-23 NBA season. Until then, the Celtics will continue to try and defy the odds as they continue chasing banner 18 during Ime Udoka’s maiden season as a head coach.